Shaft-tubing sustaining device for deep-well pumps



1930- J. A. WINTROATH 1,734,406

SHAFT TUBING SUSTAINING DEVICE FOR DEEP WELL PUMPS Filed Dec. 10, 1927 l I] [Ml/EMTOR:

JOHN H. W/NT O/ITH,

HTTORMEY.

Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE JOHN A. WINTROATI-I, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO PEERLESC PUMP COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA SHAFT-TUBING SUSTAINING DEVICE FOR DEEP-WELL PUMPS Application filed December 10, 1927. Serial No. 239,251.

My invention relates to those types of turbine pumps having a pump head, situated at the top of a well, which is adapted to drlve a pump section placed near the bottom of a well, the pump section being operated by means of a pump shaft which is connected to I the pump section and the pump head. This shaft extends throughout the length of a casing which conveys pumpedfiuid upward from the pump section to the pump head where it is discharged. Disposed within the casing and surroundin the pump shaft is a shaft tubing carrying bearings for journalling the pump shaft. This tubing is normally supported from the pump head so that it tends, like a plumb line, to assume a true vertical position. Where the well is not a vertical hole, however, the shaft tubing must be supported laterally to prevent it from sagging to one side of the well casing. This is usually accomplished by spiders carried by the shaft tubing.

Turbine pumps of the above described character are usually installed at depths varying between twenty and five hundred feet below the surface. Efforts to install such pumps at .lower levels have invariably failed because no suitable method was available for supporting a shaft tubing longer than five hundred feet. One of the causes of such failure has been that, owing to the excessive weight of this tubing, it would stretch until a suflicient portion of the weight thereof would rest upon the pump section so as to buckle the shaft tubing and throw the line shaft bearings completely out of alignment. This happens in spite of the liberal use of spacing spiders throughout the length of the shaft tubing.

It is an object of my invention to provide means for supporting a turbine line shaft tubing in a deep well which will substantially prevent the buckling of the tubing.

It is a further object to provide such a means which will eliminate the need for excessive use of spacing spiders.

Further objects and advantages will b made manifest in the following description and in accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of my invention is il lustrated. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a dagrammatic vertical sectional view of a turbine deep well pump illustrating the utility of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a line shaft bearing illustrating the association therewith of a supporting member of my invention. I

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sectional views taken on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the supporting members of my invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, a turbine pump 10 is installed in a deep well 11 which is provided with a casing 12. The pump 10 includes a pump section 13, which is disposed in the casing 12 near the lower end of the well 11, and a pump head 14 which is disposed at the top of the well in vertical alignment therewith. The pump section 13 and pump head 14 are connected by a column pipe 16 which is adapted to convey pumped fluid upward from the pump section 13 to the pump head 14 from which such fluid is discharged through a discharge pipe 17 leading therefrom. The column pipe 16 is formed of sections 18 connected by collars 19.

The pump section 13 is provided with impellers (not shown) which are driven by a line shaft 20 which extends upward through the. column pipe 16, and is supported and driven at its upper end by the pump head 14. Also disposed in the column pipe 16, and surrounding the line shaft 20, is a line shaft tubing 22. This tubing is formed in sections 23 which are preferably about 20 feet in length. The sections 23 are provided with internal threads 24, at their ends. Each ad aCent pair of sections 23 is connected by a coupling member which may be in the form of a line shaft bearing 25 which has a central cylindrical portion 26 of greater diameter than the tubing sections 23, and which is provided with threads 27 on the external surface thereof. Extending upward and downward from the central body portion 26 each other.

of each line shaft bearing 25 are threaded extensions 28 which are adapted to be screwed into the threads 24 of the adjacent ends of adjacent tubing sections 23 so as to rigidly unite these sections in alignment with Extending upward from the uppermost of the threaded extensions 28 are lugs 30, for a purpose to be described later. Formed axially in the line shaft bearing 25 is a bushing bore 31 which snugly receives a bushing 32 through which the line shaft 20 extends and in which it is journalled. The bushing 32 defines a part of the line shaft bearing, but obviously the bushing and coupling may be made integral, if desired, or

the bushing may be entirely dispensed with and auxiliary means for journalling the shaft utilized.

In pumps where the pump section 13 is disposed at a. less depth than 500 feet below the pump head 14, the line shaft tubing 22 is usually supported entirely at its upper end upon the pump head 14. As previously stated, efforts to install a vertical turbine pump where the pump section is at a greater depth than 500 feet have failed owing to the impossibility of properly supporting the line shaft tubing 22 entirely at its upper end. In order to make such aninstallation possible where the pump section is disposed at a comparatively excessive depth, I have provided the following device.

At intervals throughout the length of the well, I provide supporting members 40. Each supporting member has a base ring 41' which is of such diameter as to permit it to extend into a space 42 formed between adjacent ends of adjacent sections 18 of the column pipe 16 and within the collar 19, connecting these sections so that the ring 41 rests upon the upper end of the lower of these sections. Each supporting member 40 also has an upper ring 44, the inside diameter of which is slightly larger than the outside diamet er of the tube 22, and which is connected tothe ring 41 by legs 45 between which are provided pumped fluid passages 46. The

supporting members 40 are installed in thewell at the same time that the line shaft tubing 22 is assembled therein, these members being placed preferably at intervals of 400 feet apart in the well and so that the uppermost member is 400 feet beneath the pump head 14. The lengths of the column pipe sections 18 beneath each of these points at which a supporting member 40 is installed are determined so that each supporting member 40. when installed, is disposed directly beneath one of the line shaft bearings 25.

' At this time, an adjusting collar 50, which is provided with internal threads adapted to threadedly receive the external threads 27 of the line shaft bearing 25, is screwed upon the central portion 26 of the line shaft bearing so that the lower end of the collar bears against the upper ring 44 of the supporting member 40. The adjusting collar 50 is then tightened down against the ring 44 so that that supporting member supports approximately the entire weight of the line shaft tubing 22 which extends between that supporting member and the one immediately therebeneath. The screwing of the adjusting collar 50 is accomplished by means of a wrench (not shown) which engages flattened faces 52 formed upon the periphery of the collar 50. I

It is thus seen that there will be no tendency for the shaft tubing 22 to buckle because each of the supporting members 40 supports only that portion of the tubing 22 which is disposed between that supporting member and the one immediately beneath it. W'hen the line shaft tubing 22 is being assembled in the well, each line shaft bearing 25 is screwed into the upper end of the last previously installed section 23 of the tubing 22 by means of a suitable wrench (not shown), which engages the lugs 30 provided on the bearing 25. In case this line shaft bearing is disposed directly above a supporting member 40, an adjusting collar 50 is then screwed down upon the bearing 25 against the ring 44 of that supporting member, andthe assembling of the tubing 22 then proceeds as before by the screwing of another section 23 upon the upper threaded extension 28 of that line shaft bearing 25. The line shaft bearing 25 thus cooperates with the adjusting collar 50 to form an adjustable coupling device which connects the ends I of adjacent sections of the line shaft tubing, and acts to support a desired amount of the weight of the line shaft.- tubing, this weight being carried by the column pipe 16.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a turbine well pump the combination of: a column pipe; .a line shaft extending downward in said column pipe; a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding said line shaft, said tubing being formed in sections; an adjustable coupling de-yice connecting adjacent ends of said tubing sections; and a supporting member supported by said column pipe and engaging said coupling device to support said tubing.

2. In a turbine well pump the con'lbination of: a column pipe; a line shaft extending downward in said column pipe: a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding said line shaft. said tubing being formed in sections; a coupling member connecting adjacent ends of said tubing sections; adjusting means engaging said coupling member; and a supporting member supported by said column pipe and engaging said adjusting means to support said tubing.

3. In a turbine well pump the combination of: a column pipe; a line shaft extending downward in said column pipe; a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding saidline shaft, said tubing being formed in sections; a line shaft bearing connecting adjacent ends .of said tubing sections; and a supporting member supported by said column pipe and adjustably connected to said line shaft bearing to support said tubing.

4. In a turbine well pump the combination of: a column pipe; a line shaft extending downward in said column pipe; a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding said line shaft, said tubing being formed in sections a line shaft bearing connecting adjacent ends of said tubing sections; a supporting member supported by said column pipe and extendinginward to surround said shaft'tubing; and adjustable means engaging said supporting member and said line shaft bearing.

5. In a turbine well pump the combination of: a column pipe; a line shaft extend- I ing downward in said column pipe; a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding said line shaft, said tubing being formed in sections; a coupling member connecting adjacent ends of said tubing sections; a collar adjustably mounted upon said coupling member; and a supporting member supported by said column pipe and engaging said collar to at least partially support said tubing.

6. In a turbine well pump the combination of: aocolumn pipe; a line shaft extending downward in said column pipe; a shaft tubing extending downward in said column pipe and surrounding said line shaft, said tubing being formed in sections; a line shaft bearing connecting adjacent ends of said tubing sections; a collar adjustably mounted opening of said hub; a nut-coupling secured to the upper end of said tube, said nut-coupling being adapted to engage said hub and to place a tension on said tube; a second tube.

located above saidfirst-named tube and secured to said nut-coupling, and a line shaft forming a part of said pump construction and extending through said tubes.

9. In a pump construction of the class described, the combination of: a column-pipe, said column-pipe consisting oflengths of pipe secured together by a coupling; 'a spider secured in said column-pipe between adjacent lengths of pipe, saidspid'er having a concentric hub, said hub having an opening formed therethrough; a tube located in said column-pipe, the upperend of said tube extending through the opening of said hub; a nut-coupling screwed onto the upper end of said tube, said nut-coupling engaging the upper part of said hub and placing a tension on said tube; and a second tube screwed to said nut-coupling, said second tube being placed in axial alignment above said firstnamed tube. A

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 5th day of December, 1927.

JOHN A. WINTROATH.

upon said line shaft bearing; and a supporting member supported by said column pipe and engaging said collar to support said tubing.

7. In combination in a deep well turbine pump: a lower section of column pipe; a collar secured to said lower section of column pipe'and adapted to subsequently retain an upper section of column pipe; a supporting member comprising a lower. ring resting on the upper end of said lower section of column pipe, an upper ring, and legs connecting said upper and lower. rings; a shaftenclosing tubing extending through said supporting member; and adjustable means bearing against said upper ring and adapted to draw upward on said shaft-enclosing tubing.

8. In a pump construction of the class de-,

scribed, the combination of: guide means having a hub, said hub having an opening therethrough; means for supporting said guide means; a tube extended through the 

